Memorial Day

A University of Minnesota food scientist has died, nine days after he was pulled from a private pool during a Memorial Day gathering in St. Louis Park. The Hennepin County medical examiner’s office said Friday that 48-year-old Koushik Seetharaman died Tuesday at Hennepin County Medical Center. The cause of death was a lack of oxygen to the brain. Doctors believe he suffered a cardiac arrest in the pool.

The first reports of a north woods visitor came just prior to the Memorial Day weekend. On Friday morning, the phone line to Savage police began ringing as folks like Jessica Sepeda called in, saying they’d seen a bear.

Now that the weather’s getting nice, Minnesota’s most common pest is popping out. The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District said over the Memorial Day weekend there was an explosion in the mosquito population.

For the Frokjer family of Maplewood, Memorial Day used to be a day of barbeques and celebrating summer. Now, it’s a day to remember the life of 27-year-old Sgt. Chad Frokjer, who was killed while serving in Afghanistan.

For many who have served, Memorial Day has a very special meaning. For some it’s a day of pain, remembering the lives lost during combat. For others it’s a time to honor the fallen and let others know why it’s important to do so. But for most all who served, it is more than just a day off from work, barbecues and family gatherings.

The Memorial Day holiday in Minnesota is proof of how much difference a year can make. Memorial Day 2014 in Minnesota was quite different than Memorial Day 2013. Temps soared into the 80’s in the Twin Cities on Monday.

It’s Memorial Day, a day where we take time to honor those past and present who have served our country to ensure our freedom. It also leads to some confusion on what places are closed and what are open.

A group of Minnesotans are in the nation’s capitol Sunday to honor our country’s fallen heroes. They’ll be participating in the national Memorial Day celebration in Washington D.C., invited there by the President.

Warm weather is finally here! High temperatures and a sunny sky swept across the state of Minnesota Saturday. Temperatures have been warm this whole week, which gets many thinking that warm weather may finally be here to stay.

Dozens gathered Saturday to remember our country’s fallen heroes this Memorial Day weekend. A ceremony was held at the Anoka County Veterans Memorial at Bunker Hills Park. Several veterans spoke to the crowd, while visitors placed flowers at the memorial site.

You may have to change your Memorial Day weekend plans if they include canoeing or kayaking down Minnehaha Creek. The recent rain caused high levels on Lake Minnetonka. As a result, water is being released into the creek to lower it. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District warns the release is causing unsafe conditions.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation reports that Interstate 94 westbound near Monticello is down to a single lane due to a pavement failure. The stretch should be down to a single lane for about an hour, MnDOT said.

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start to summer in Minnesota, and it also marks one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. Officials with AAA said they expect a little more than 36 million people to travel 50 miles or more this holiday weekend.

We’re heading towards Memorial Day weekend and coming with it is sun and warmer temperatures. It’s got boaters and anglers looking forward to getting out on the boat. It also makes for the perfect time for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to remind people about boat safety and to “Think Zero.”

Cookouts may be a little bit more expensive this Memorial Day. With the holiday weekend coming up it’s time to start thinking about how to celebrate, but you may want to skip the cookouts this year as the price of meat is going up.

Memorial Day is especially meaningful for the families, friends and comrades left behind. While Veterans today are reflecting on lives lost during combat, they are also thinking of the families left without loved ones and the pain they endure every day.Their war experiences were different. Landon Steele was a combat medic in Iraq. Chuck Sasse was a flight engineer in World War II. But the emptiness they carry from the loss of their comrades is the same.